LISTEN.

Fall 2014

Fall 2014

Ideas are powerful.

Jake Scherlis, Jonathan Ortiz, Kaan Dogrusoz, & Myles Blodnick

Ideas hold unlimited potential, but they are rarely judged on their own merit. The perception of ideas is often tainted by the identity of their author; their message clouded by bias. With this in mind, we created an anonymity device that separates the idea from its creator. This was done by creating a mask that conceals the user's voice and appearance. The user speaks into a small microphone, and their voice is distorted and projected through two speakers embedded into the front of the mask.

The basic frame of the mask is a fencing helmet. The helmet contains a single NeoPixel LED strip, a former webcam microphone, two portable speakers that are mounted in the front of the helmet, and light-diffusing fabric. When the user speaks, their voice is recorded and the analog input is shifted in pitch by a semi-random amount derived from the volume of their voice. This distorts their voice in real-time, allowing the user to interact with an audience while remaining anonymous.